---
Felix sat on the couch beside Jeongin, who shifted close to him almost immediately, turning on the PS5 which Felix didn't know existed previously,
'I'll teach you how to play, don't worry hyung!'-Jeongin spoke to which Felix nodded, feeling another presence to his other side,
It was Seungmin and the beta passed a smile to him before grabbing another controller,
'Now you watch us, and ask us whenever you have any confusion, okay?'-the beta spoke and Felix found himself nodding, already excited to play.
'Alright, ready to go in 3-2-1-Felix hyung, the central button, right-move the controllers on either side to change position- HIDE HIDE HIDE-'
'I.N-ah protect me-come on give me life- Heal me! yah yah-Felix hyung I'm dealing wait- don't shoot-no-wait-alright-'
Jisung hurried to grab a packet of crisps, before taking a seat over on the couch's headrest, right behind Felix as he propped his chin at the boy's shoulder and peeked over at him, helping him handle the controls every now and then,
The others watched, amused expressions turning to admirable smiles as they watched the younger ones enjoy themselves.
Guess, the new addition to the group wasn't new but was meant to be there.
Like a family. Altogether.
---
After a tiring game that left the omega ranting off about how it was so wrong, the controls and the fact that the other team opposite to them was playing using tricks that were evil to him,
He whined about it all to Hyunjin, who loved the way the 'beta' was going on with his ranting, occasionally making sounds of exasperation, not to mention the pigtail sitting atop his head, making him look all too adorable,
The whining omega stopped speaking, eyes falling shut, when he felt a hand petting his hair, all too softly gazing at him was Hyunjin, smiling whilst petting his head,
'You're cute, you know that?'
Felix nodded before staring at the male, realizing he had been nearly hypnotized,
'You're messing with me, hyung!'
Hyunjin chuckled, making a face that made Felix laugh and lean over to rest his head on the beta's shoulder,
'WAH-'-Changbin's 'horrified' gasp came from the front and both the males looked at the alpha who was making a sad face, holding a hand to his chest whilst making noises of dying,
Whilst Felix laughed, Hyunjin rolled his eyes chuckling,
'The one who doesn't accept my hugs is suddenly letting Felix hug him- the ultimate betrayal! I'm heartbroken-Chan Hyung hold me-I'm dying-'
Hyunjin pulled Felix closer, poking a tongue out at Changbin who gasped in 'pain',
'Hug me back, I love teasing him.'
And so Felix did, hugging the male who hugged him back, and Felix found himself feeling ever so comfortable, a floaty feeling he didn't think he had experienced before,
Hyunjin's hugs were so good and he could call it right at the moment.
On the other side, Changbin was fake crying with Chan, who was acting along and handing him tissues as he nodded and patted his back,
It made both Felix and Hyunjin laugh out loud, finding the antics of the alphas both adorable and goofy.
'I'll get something to drink for myself.'-Felix spoke, standing up as he watched Changbin go ahead and playfully choke the beta,
He smiled to himself, walking to the kitchen where he found a certain purple-haired male working over the stove whilst stirring something in a pot,
Felix frowned, getting a glass for himself as he passed by the alpha who turned to look at him,
It was awkward, surely, and as Felix began to sip at the water, he found himself thinking.
Should he say something or should he leave? But doing the latter would come off as ignorant or arrogant? Considering he didn't have anything to say either-
'You hungry?'-came the voice of the alpha and the blonde turned to look at him, blinking rapidly as he tried to answer and at the same time not seem awkward but whilst he thought of a reply he heard a sigh and breathy chuckle,
'Do I seem that scary?'
'You look like a bunny and a cat's mixture-'
Felix gasped, putting a hand over his mouth as he stared with wide eyes at the alpha, who seemed to have paused his stirring,
He watched as the purple-head put aside the chopsticks he had been using, and turned to face him,
'I'm s-sorry Hyung-'
'You don't look any less than a cat yourself. Ya know I'm a cat butler?'
Felix frowned, shaking his head,
'Cat butler?'
'I've got three, Soonie, Doongie, and Dori. I think you might be the fourth one now.'
Felix was confused for a moment before he understood what the male was saying,
He smiled, giggling away,
'You're a cat yourself then you're my big bro?'
Lee Know shrugged, 'You could say that.'
Felix peeked over the male's shoulder who looked surprised since the 'beta' was quite close nevertheless he didn't move from his position, letting the boy stare into the pot,
'Ramyeon?'
'Mhmm, they ordered the rest, but what's dinner and a sleepover without Ramyeon, eh?'
'You're right, Lino Hyung.'
'You want some right now or with the others?'
'I'll have with the others. But it smells so good!'
'Thank you, I guess?'
Felix giggled at the male's reply, finding it rather funny considering the way the alpha made a goofy face in the end,
Whilst both the little kitten and big cat were busy, the rest of the males peeked over, climbing on top of each other, from behind the wall,
'He'd have killed me if I were to act like that.'-Hyunjin muttered quietly, shuddering at two particular memories, one being 'tissues' and the other being the 'air fryer' that had kept him terrorized for quite a while.
Changbin hummed along, 'You remember him indirectly telling me that we had two chopsticks and two pairs of eyes? Bruh, every time I see a pair of them in his hand, I blink to feel if I've still got both my eyes.'
'He's just as soft with me, if not more, as he's with Felix.'-Jisung spoke from above him and both Hyunjin and Changbin looked over to give him, well, side-eyes which were rather not really funny but really effective.
'He's like that with me too. Even though annoying a few times but never over the limit.'-Jeongin mentioned and the others looked at him with looks clearly saying, 'You're the Maknae for a reason.'
The fox-resembling male smiled adorably,
'I got no saying in this. If he's the devil, then I'm the spawn of satan.'-Seungmin spoke quietly, the others staring at him for moments only to look away;
'You think I can't hear either of you when I very well can. Good luck with the ramyeon, check for poison.'-came Lee Know's voice, interrupting all of them and leading them to fall over one another,
A worried blonde turned around, flinching seconds later to show his disbelief and surprise over the human sandwich in front of him,
'Are you guys alright?'
Lee know scoffed, 'Don't worry, little kitty. You grab your food, I'll pour in for them, to show my love.'-The male smirked, leaving the others to widen their eyes and gulp,
Lee know could do it to some extent, poison them enough so they remained alive and yet-
'I'll do it myself, why take the pressure. You should rest, hyung. Really.'-both Hyunjin and Changbin were on their feet,
Felix's giggles brought them back to end their act, as they stared at the 'beta', who had a mouth full of noodles, slurping them in whilst covering his mouth to control his giggles,
'Fuck, my heart-'-Jisung muttered, shaking his head as he went over to Felix, only to hug him from behind.
The doorbell went off just then,
'It's the food probably, I'll get it.'-Chan spoke, having been silent ever since, and quietly made his way out, Changbin following to help the male out.
'What's up, Chan hyung?'
'Hm? Nothing, why do you ask?'
'You've been silent ever since before the kitchen encounter of the now two cats in the group.'
Bangchan paused in his actions of taking off the lid of packed food, except he resumed seconds later,
'You know I got nothing to say either way. Lee know's got it in him, to be intimidating. But to me, he's still a year younger, and sometimes I do get to see a side of him that's adorable.'
'Not about that. Ugh-what I mean to say is, you've been awfully quiet ever since you know you've known Lixie-'
Bangchan shook his head, 'It's nothing, Bin.'
Changbin sighed, knowing he wasn't wrong but then he wasn't sure what to say or add anything either, he nodded before calling the other, missing how Chan's stiff shoulders suddenly relaxed.
After a successful bickering and never-ending goofiness, the boys got back on the couch, bloated with all the food they had.
Felix found himself slowly sitting up, from in between Changbin and Hyunjin, he stared at each of their faces one by one,
There was I.N, slowly being pestered by an equally lazy-looking Seungmin, then there was Minho, patting at Jisung's butt and not even trying to hide it, whilst both of them had their eyes closed,
His gaze shifted towards Changbin, who was simply letting his hand roam over Felix's shoulder to Hyunjin's hair, the latter making a face every now and then but not making any effort to move away.
Lastly, Felix found himself staring at Chan, who unlike the others was simply staring up at the ceiling, seemingly in his thoughts.
The omega frowned for a split second, only to put on a smile that emerged by itself rather than because of the thoughts in his head,
He quietly stood up, walking over to Chan, before poking at the male's shoulder over his plain black t-shirt,
That seemed to do the work for Chan looked at him, blinked, and then raised his eyebrows,
Felix made a motion but put a finger to his lips, shushing the male and pulling him out of the living room, to the balcony.
Chan followed, letting himself be pulled by the blonde and he watched as Felix carefully slid the glass door back to his locked position before taking a place by the railings, staring out at the slowly setting sun,
The alpha turned over to gaze at the beauty of the sunset as well, occasionally stealing glances at the beta and he watched as the sun ducked below the horizon, the pretty hues of yellows and reds somehow not forgetting to paint a smile over the blonde male's face beside him, who felt the last few seconds of the colors with his eyes roaming all over, as if too entranced by the beauty,
So was Chan but he wasn't going to say anything.
The freckled male whose freckles shone under the last rays of the setting sun, slowly closed his eyes, taking and releasing a deep breath and Chan found himself following without being asked, ever so silently copying the boy and he felt his previous puzzling thoughts leave his mind for split seconds, fuzzy feeling taking over in return.
'I hope you feel good now, hyung. Saw you in your thoughts and trust me, it ain't a good thing to let yourself be steered by those unknown voices, even though sometimes we lose the battle against them, it's always worth fighting for the silence and choosing to go with our own heart.'
Chan felt his lips go dry and he let his tongue wash over them before nodding silently,
Words that left him-thinking?
They had such a deep meaning to them and for once he was speechless.
Like he was when he had first noticed the beta. But he wasn't going to say anything about it either.
'How did you know I was thinking?'
'Hinge, I guess? Or maybe because I am in your position a couple of times a day. It's not wrong to think, but it's wrong to let it steer you, or let it out of control. Think, but keep your control over it that's what my therapist told me.'
Chan gulped,
'Not wanting to be rude or nosy but you've had a therapist?'
'You're not being rude. It's alright-and yes, I've had to have a therapist, for a short while as it is, but it was necessary since I just didn't know what to do at a certain point in time in life.'- Felix grew silent for a few seconds but then continued speaking with a small smile on his face,
'Gosh, I sound so old. I hate being you know silent and everything in a setting like this because it makes me say things that are completely opposite to how I behave or act-
Trust me, Mom thinks that I've got a split personality sometimes, all because I can go on be a total softie one second, and the next second I'll be a complete philosopher.'
Chan chuckled, looking away from the boy and over the horizons letting his own heart steer his thoughts into words,
'It's not wrong to have sides to ourselves. A coin has two sides but it's still a coin. Now surely, it'll be wrong if you're two-sided or two-faceted but having sides to the same person is everyone's case especially if your loved ones know you by both. I'm goofy around everyone but whilst I work, they say I'm just too intimidating to be talked to directly without cowering in fear. Ofcourse I don't wish for it to be like that, but yeah-it works. I'm not multi-dimensioned, but just have some certain reactions or personality types set for certain situations.'
The sky was slowly losing its brightness, and yet it didn't seem to be a metaphor, rather only literally, because it was still peaceful, still comforting.
Felix gazed at the alpha, an unknown emotion rising in the depth of his heart which he couldn't comprehend, except he liked feeling whatever he was at the moment.
'You know, hyung...I'm not really used to being close with anyone other than my mother or for that sake talking to people and specifically...having friends.
I've never seen alphas like you guys either, usually Books and the internet classified them as you know, those stereotypical bad people but then I met Binnie hyung, Minho hyung, and you-and you've all got these soft sides to you that make me feel like the stereotypes are just so wrong.'
Chan smiled softly, his grin both comforting and warm-soothing to the heart,
'Stereotypes, Lix. Stereotypes are made by society, not you and me specifically but by a group that no one can name specifically. They are characteristics and yet it's not necessary that everyone must abide by them or follow them or act upon them.
I could be all scary for all you know but what would I get out of it? Being rude isn't something good, and shouldn't be considered as something cool either just because one is an alpha. Sure, I've got sides to me, where I do get a bit protective of those whom I love and find myself ready to kill should anyone hurt my loved ones, but that's not what makes me an alpha.
I don't believe in all these ranks or titles either. Come to think of it, it's not necessary for an omega to be the sub or the weaker one- doesn't make sense really.
Titles mess it up all, they always have. Just because you're a guy, doesn't mean you have to be a guy, stereotypically speaking. And just because one is a girl, doesn't mean she has to be a girl. A stereotypically defined girl.
One has to be themselves and I wish for once everyone lived by it rather than succumbing themselves to titles, to characters that aren't them.
Sure, we change over our lives but that's development to our own self. Copying someone else or living by someone else's rules and ideas just because you love them or idolize them doesn't make sense to me. It's bullshit, for all I could say.
And for all I could care, a man doesn't always have to be strong-or skilled or muscled or the know-it-all, same for a woman-they don't always have to be out of the crowd or beautiful with brains-or a woman,
Be you. And when I say it, I mean try and be the version of you that isn't defined or titled, but rather what you find yourself as. Look into the mirror in the morning and find it you, every single day-
The face staring back at you is the real you. And not the one who's in the other's thoughts. People define, and keep a certain characteristic chart for everyone in their life, but that shouldn't bother you.
Keep yourself the same. In and out.
Titles and others' hopes for you- all of it is fun until someone gets too lost in them and forgets who they were in the beginning.'
Chan sighed, feeling his throat dry up after speaking so long but it felt good as if he expressed something or cleared out something-
He shuddered, eyes widening in surprise when he found the blonde suddenly hugging him, and before his head that had wandered off and his heart that had not so subtly risen itself and did a couple of somersaults suddenly fell back in its place,
He looked down, staring at the boy who was hugging him, head pressed against his chest, Felix seemed just so small in his arms, cuddling up to him despite they were still standing and their not-so-major height difference,
His nerves were taking over but he forced himself to relax, letting his hands rest around the boy, completely shielding him and for once he felt as if he had the world in his arms,
He pressed his head into the crook of Felix's neck and let out a shaky sigh,
'I didn't know what to say but everything you just said right-it...it made me really really ponder. I've been taught to abide by certain rules as well, certain stereotypes that I let get the best of me but now it felt so good to hear it from someone apart from my mother, someone who has the same thinking.
Thank you so much, Channie hyung. You're truly what Binnie hyung says, the best and the one who deserves to lead. You're really good with both your words and actions, completely not one of those stinky stereotypical alphas. You're you, Channie, and that's what makes it so special for me to have you in my life.'
The boy looked up, and Chan found himself gazing into a galaxy surrounded by constellations-
Oh so beautiful, the way Felix smiled, leaving his heart to thump rapidly against his chest,
His skin flushed, his ears burning and from the way he felt the burn in his jaw, he was surely smiling just too hard,
He couldn't say it was because of Felix's words, or because of the nickname, or even because of the boy's soft gaze upon him, it could be everything but truly it left him floating, worries aside, past and useless thoughts aside,
He truly felt as if he had the world in his arms,
A world, he'd oh-so-much wanted to be a part of. The alpha side of him going as far as wanting to be the only one to be a part of.
---
For the first time in his life, Felix felt this much relaxed especially out of the repetitive confines of the same four walls that he termed as his room, his home.
He didn't know if it was simply because of the love and care the boys showed him, but he truly felt as if he wasn't an outsider.
Not now at least, whilst he cuddled with his favorite plushie, lying sideways covered in his favorite blanket and a particular grey one on top of him to keep him warm and cozy,
As he watched the others, Chan on the mattress right below him, a few inches away, Jeongin cuddled up to Seungmin and then there were two other mattresses, vertical and attached to the previous ones, except Minho and Jisung lay side by side, on one side, the other Hyunjin and Changbin.
They had all, voluntarily decided to give Felix the biggest and the only couch, considering it was his first time in a sleepover.
Even though he had been provided with the choice of whether he wished to go back to his own room in the apartment opposite, he had declined, except went back with Jeongin who wished to see Pixie whilst Felix changed and got his necessary things for the night,
He had hugged his mother goodnight as well, also noticing the way her eyes glistened when he spoke about wanting to have a real sleepover, his first one with everyone,
He knew she was proud of him, so was Changbin when he agreed and so were the others and it made Felix oh-so-warm and over on top of the clouds.
He watched, eyes slowly feeling tired, the day's exhaustion and all that social-experiment finally grabbing hold of him, except the way it felt just right,
He smiled to himself, his life seeming brighter suddenly despite the darkness of the night outside.
He could hear faint traffic sounds, as well as a peek at the stars that shone through the closed windows, every time the curtains shifted ever so slightly because of the heavy air-conditioning,
It didn't make him cold in the slightest, however, or scared that the lights were off.
A tiny candle had been placed in the far corner, so no one stumbled against it in their sleep and so it wasn't completely dark, especially for Felix.
The omega purred at the thought, letting himself almost bring his knees completely close to his chest, his fists huddled the plushie close, his eyes wandering one last time around him,
Oh-it was all too pleasant, a reality so dreamy, a vibe so cozy, a time so worth remembering,
His first sleepover with his first and only yet amazing friends and hyungs,
His first time when he was out of his house and yet this place, with all the others,
He felt like this could, actually, successfully, with no doubt be his new and second home.
Home.
With a lingering smile on his lips, the freckled male slowly came to the end of his 'right before sleep' thought train,
Sleep reached out to him, hands ready to hold him close and he let himself be hugged,
In a daze, a strength oh-so-hard and yet oh-so-tranquil, the boy fell into sleep's arms, letting it pet his head, lull him to a slumber where he dreamt of forests oh-so-green and of the shade in the bright sunlight, oh-so-serene,
Of people in his life whom he had met only in dreams, them suddenly leaving the dreams and coming to the living,
Luck or serendipity, he didn't know, but it didn't matter for he didn't want it to go.
'You guys are my new family. The best.'
Truly they were like family to him. The best.
Unknown to the omega, for he fell asleep right after the words left his slightly parted lips, his whisper had apparently been caught up by the seven others who despite their eyes completely shut didn't fail to listen to him.
If it weren't for his constant lingering gaze or the fact that they too, specifically all of them finally felt at peace, as if they had been completed, they haven't been able to fall asleep.
But now, with smiles on their faces, eyes closed and soft breathing surrounding the air, it felt just right.
At home.
---